New volunteer is Plantae non Grata, any guesses to it's ID?

It is not often I dislike a plant on sight but a new volunteer earned that distinction as I was reducing the weed count this afternoon. I noticed it as I was looking to see if the Hals Frans Daylily had any flower stalks. Vines are not my favorites, they always seem to have their own agenda and they usually grow in unwanted places. Case in point see photo, barbs line the leaf petiole and thorns generously dot the main stem. It was immediately removed roots and all, put into a separate trash bag and deposited into the trash. The former location earned a scull and crossbones tag for monitoring in the future. The garden logbook records the event as a reminder. Anyone have an ID on this plant?

Jerry


Unwanted Volunteer ( photo / image / picture from Jerry Sullivan's Garden )






Unwanted Volunteer with barbs ( photo / image / picture from Jerry Sullivan's Garden )

 

Just looks like a nasty weed to me... ICK...pricklies too!
I'd have done the same thing as you... dispose of it and fast!

 

EWWWW First photo didn't look too bad, the second one is evil!!! I'd have yanked it out of there!!

 

The only thing that comes to mind is the Smilax family. I believe that thee are several different species...so I wouldn't know which.
Ach, I am not even sure that your weed is in the Smilax family, but it is perhaps a starting place for you to start searching.
I hope that you can get that thing out...roots and all. I am curious about its roots, actual;l;y---are they "normal" roots, or do they come out of a tuberous bulb?

 

Jerry, I have been pulling this stuff left and right. I hate it! it is incredibly abrasive, you don't want to get this stuck on your ankle as you walk through the weeds. It leaves huge abrasions on your skin. I had to be careful as I was pulling it, it was leaving abrasions on my arms. All my stock of this came from pond muck Kevin brought home so we could build up a pad for the lg. hoophouse. Sorry I can't ID it, I thought about asking everyone also, but I didn't have my camera and I really didn't have time when I was pulling weeds last week. I'll be watching to see if anyone else knows or can find out, though. Maybe I'll have time to stop at the library to see if they have a weed ID book, on my way home from the nursinghome today.

 

When I dug up the plant, actually I grabbed a fist full of dirt, I looked at the root. It was an ordinary root system. I believe it did not have time to form an extensive system. Carolyn's comment about abrasions can be attributed to the plants downward barbs, very nasty even in a small plant. The plant probably spreads with pieces breaking off and rooting elsewhere. It deserves an extra watchful eye.

Jerry

 

I'm with the other comments, looks really mean, and bites hard. Glad you got it out before it took a good hold.

 

The second 'nasty weed' was captured while trying to climb an Astilbe. The weed was placed in solitary confinement and fed only bread and water.... the birds ate the bread. The weed will be taken to a professional where it is hoped a positive identification will lead to a better understanding of it's pedigree. The weed's tenacious grip on the Astilbe revealed the difficult side of potential eradication. The Astilbe was lucky to escape the evil clutches of the as yet unnamed 'nasty weed.' More later when the professional gives their opinion.

Jerry

 

Jerry, Try googling "mile a minute" weed. what do you think? The description fits the weed. Your picture is a much better one than the one I found, though.

 

Bingo!!! Detective first class you are. If birds are dropping seeds in my yard I can expect this within a 25 mile radius unless it was a migratory bird. In that case all bets are off. An introduced plant species we can do without. Thank you Carolyn for your detective work I will be on the lookout for more plants. It is however, not my yard that I am worried about. Most people will not be as vigilant. It's like knowing it's coming and there is nothing you can do about it. The one redeeming attribute, if there is really one, is that it is an annual.

Jerry

 

Glad I could help. I should have looked it up earlier, but I run out of time most days to sit at the computer very much( and my daughter hogs the computer, all day). So I am glad you posted and asked about it. I probably would have not found the time to look for it for my own knowledge.

 

Jerry, did you notice that the stem is square. I thought only the mint family had square stems. I was out pulling some of this NOXIOUS stuff earlier today (and needed gloves after a while because the barbs/pricklers thingys were getting embedded in my finger,OUCH) when I noticed this. Maybe IDing it would have been quicker if I had been more observant earlier.

 

Square?? Mine is round. More than one species? I now have one in a pot and it is classified as a POW. I want to see if it has flowers and berries The bottom two inches does not have barbs and is round. Am I looking in the right place?

Jerry